Azerbaijani serviceman killed by Armenian sniper buried (PHOTO)

The serviceman of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, Lieutenant Sabuhi Azizov, who was killed by an Armenian sniper during a combat mission, was buried in the village of Teklemirzababa in the Gobustan region, the Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.

Deputy head of the military and psychological training department and spokesman for the Defense Ministry, Colonel Abdulla Gurbani delivered a speech at the farewell ceremony. He spoke about the young officer's glorious path.

Sabuhi Azizov was a graduate of the Azerbaijan Higher Military School named after Heydar Aliyev.

It was stressed that Lieutenant Sabuhi Azizov was posthumously awarded with the medal "For distinguished military service" of the third degree upon Defense Minister, Colonel-General Zakir Hasanov's order on behalf of the Azerbaijani president.

The medal was awarded to the father of the deceased officer.

Head of the Azerbaijan Higher Military School named after Heydar Aliyev, Maj. Gen. Heydar Piriyev, and the head of Gobustan executive power, Agil Mammadov also delivered speech at the ceremony.

The situation on the contact line of Azerbaijani and Armenian troops has recently escalated. Armenian armed forces have recently violated the ceasefire about 1,000 times.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the U.S. are currently holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.